Batona Trail

...and this little doggie ended up in my backpack!

Batona Trail

This little doggie walked the whole way, ...

Apple Pie Hill

Fire tower on Apple Pie Hill. You can climb to the top but not in the building. That is my son way up there, I was not about to join him.

Batona Trail

Wetland flowers along the Batona Trail.

Batona Trail in the Pine Barrens

We hit the Batona Trail this weekend. Just a short jaunt. 1 kid, 2 teenagers and 2 tiny dogs and all we brought to eat were some Doritos, almonds and Propel. Forgot the dog treats but it turns out that tiny dogs will eat Doritos:) We started at the Carranza Memorial and went up to Apple Pie Hill. It was about 3 miles one way. The trail is pretty easy except when trekking through soft sand on the roads. It wound nicely next to some wetlands, but an almost total lack of wildlife.
We met up with lots of other people enjoying the Pine Barrens, campers, hikers and dirt bikers. Just about the nicest group of people I have met out in the woods, everybody said HI, even the dirt biking teenagers. Just remember if you do go use bug spray with DEET, we came home tick free but that is not always the case.

Early summer in NJ :)

We've been enjoying the parks in NJ lately. The weather has just been beautiful. Though the wet winter and sporadic heavy rains have been a boon for the mosquito population. Becca and I just biked the Pemberton Rail Trail. It is easily accessed right off Hanover Street. Free parking. It is next to a large Wawa. The trail is only about 3 miles long, to and back, but it has a fun little spur that adds a couple miles. Easy! A great starter trail, but if you are like us, we needed a bit more. So, we went to Smithville Park, which is just down route 38 from Pemberton. Smithville is also an easy ride, but can be crowded with a lot of foot traffic. Probably better to hike this one. Nice smooth trails, restrooms near the playground, docks to walk out on and a bridge path across the pond.

The most family friendly camping :)

If you are considering camping for the first time, there is no better park than Locust Lake State Park. Camping is available on both sides of the small lake, but the best side for tent camping is only open from Memorial Day to Labor Day. 

The staff is wonderful, always friendly and helpful. The camp store is open every day. Bathrooms are plentiful, heated, hot water, flush toilets and tended to daily. The beach is unguarded but the water is shallow. Best of all is the PAVED 1 mile trail around the lake..nice;)